Cushion-tire for vehicles.



W. S. HOLMES & W. B. JOHNSON.

CUSHION TIRE FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED 123.18, 1910.

1,027, 1 30. Patented May 21, 1912.

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U ITE sTA s PATENT OFFICE.

WESLEY s. HOLMES, OE ITI-IACA, AND WELCOME B. .ioHNsON, OF NEW YORK, N.Y., ASSIGNOR-S To AUGUST zINssEE, JR, TRUSTEE, on NEW YORK, N-. Y.-

oUsHIoN-TmE Eon VEHICLES.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Application filed February 18, 1910. Serial No. 544,601.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that we, WESL Y S. HOLMES andWVELcoME B. JOHNSON, citizensof the United States, residing at Ithaca and New York, respectively, inthe counties of Tompkins and New York, respectively, and State.

of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cushion-Tiresfor Vehicles, of which the following 1s a speclfication.

This invention relates to improvements in tires for vehicle wheelsdesigned chiefly for automobiles, and has for its object to provide acushion tire possessing the requisite elasticity, capable of completelycompensating for the various strains to which the vehicle wheel and thetire thereof are sub ect in use, and assume a normal condition andposition after relieved of such strains and whereby the strain isdistributed throughout a considerable area of thetire.

The invention has for its further object to provide such cushion tire incombination with means whereby'tread surfaces of different types may bereadily assembled in combination with the cushion element of the tire.

That which is regarded as new will be a similar view on the line 33 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail elevation;'Fig. 5 is a detail, plan view;Fig. 6 is a sectional view illustrating the invention as embodied with aclencher rim, one tire engaging flange of which is removable tofacilitate quick mounting and demounting of the tire.

In the said drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a vehicle wheelabout the felly 2 of which is fitted annular tiresecuring means. Thisannular tire-securing means engages the cushion element of the tire atits base contiguous to the felly. The cushion element is left perfectlyfree to compensate not only for radial but tangential or longitudinalpressure and to assume its normal condition when released from suchpressure.

In use tires are subject to radial pressure and also to a tangentialpressure calculated to cause the tire tocreep. The cushion element ofour invention is so combined and held in place that it will respondto orcompensate for such pressures and assume its normal position whenrelieved thereof.

We have shown tire-securing means 3 of the clencher-rim type, and inFig. 6 of the drawing have illustrated one flange 4: of.

this clencher rim as removably connected to the tire bed thereof tofacilitate the mounting and demounting of the tire. We wish itunderstood, however, the invention is not limited to this type oftire-securing means, as any suitable means for securing the tire,leaving the cushion element free to respond to or compensate for thepressures or stresses referred to, may be employed.

The cushion element 5 is of rubber of any desired degree of elasticity,and the elasticity thereof is preferably augmented by transverseperforations 6; and this elasticity may also be augmented in the form ofinvention shown in Figs. 16,by the transverse perforations '7 which playa part, in that form, in uniting together the tread or "shoe and cushionelements of the tire, as will be hereinafter explained. The cushionelement 5 of the tire may consist of a single annular ring of rubber ormay be made in sections as indicated in Fig. 4 where the numerals 45*, 4and 4 deslgnate adjoining or contiguous sections. Preferably the cushionelement will consist of a single annular ring of rubber the periphery ofwhich is a cylindrical surface.

Surrounding the cushion element of the tire is an endless flexible orsprin band of metal 8, preferably of hammered spring Steel, fiattransversely, and closely embracing the cushion element, which servesnot only as a strengthening member for the tire as a whole, but todistribute the shock and the bounding action to which the wheel issubjected when running at high speed.

Outside of the pressure distributing band is the tread 9 of the tirewhich is shown in Figs.-16 as composed of a series of individual blocksof rubber, each provided with a continuous surrounding base flange 10.Interposed between the several blocks of the tread member of the tireare eye-shaped clencher plates, the stems of which engage the contiguousor adjacent portions of the base flange of the several blocks of thetread of the tire. The head portions or lateral extensions of theseclencher plates fit over the opposite side portions of the base flanges10 referred to, and have depending arms 11 that embrace the oppositefaces of the cushion element of the tire and thus serve to hold theelements of the tire from lateral displacement. with these clencherplates are anchors 12 disposed within the transverse perforations 7 ofthe cushion element and through coincident openings in said clencherplates bolts 13 pass, the ends of said bolts being screwthreaded and theopenings in the anchors being correspondingly screw threaded. lVhen thebolts are in place the several elements of the tire are firmly connectedtogether against liability of longitudinal, lateral or radialdisplacement. By preference, the several parts are secured to gether bythe utilization of two bolts to each clencher plate and associatedelements, disposed toward the opposite ends of the clencher plates.

It will be observed that the elements by which the cushion and treadportions of the tire are united leave the cushion element of the tireperfectly free to respond to or compensate for the various strains towhich such wheels are subjected in use and as above explained.

The tire is an exceedingly strong and secure one; has an elasticitycomparable with that of pneumatic tires; is free of all hindrances toits complete response to the various strains to which such tires aresubjected in use and immediate assumption of Combined normal positionand condition when relieved of such strains, and by reason of the straindistributing band interposed between the cushion and tread or shoeelements is not subject to abrupt depression at the immediate point ofstrain, but the action under such strain is distributed through aconsiderable area of the tire, thus avoiding a. continual localdisturbance and distortion of the elements of the tire.

; Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A vehicle tirecomprising an annular cushion element the periphery of which is acontinuous cylindrical surface, a surrounding flexible distributing bandof spring metal in continuous contact with said cushion element, anouter tread or shoe comprising a plurality of independent resilientblocks each having an encircling flange and bearing on said band, aclamping plate extending transversely between each pair of blocks andhaving lateral extensions on each end, said plates and their extensionshearing on the encircling flanges of said blocks, radial means forfastening said plates to the band and to the cushion element, and meansfor securing the cushion element to the wheel.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

lVES-LEY S. HOLMES. WELCOME B. JOHNSON.

Vitnesses for Wesley S. Holmes:

M, E. HOLMES, E. N. JAoKsoN. v Vitnesses for WVelcome B. Johnson:

CHARLES D. Sworn, 4 AUG. ZINSSER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

